COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Allen University football team saw their successful season come to an end Saturday as the Jackets fell 37-9 to their rival and undefeated Benedict College from Charles Johnson Stadium.

Benedict got on the board first taking advantage of an Allen fumble in their own end to lead 7-0 seven minutes into the game. AU, though, came right back with a score of their own ending a three-play 41-yard drive on a 23-yard TD pass from QB David Wright to WR Bobby Moore to tie the game at 7 with 5 minutes left in the first. Allen got the short field because of a Sharrod Simmon 20-yard INT return.

The Tigers would then add two more touchdowns in the first quarter to lead 21-7. BC then held a 28-7 halftime advantage as Allen's 77-yard drive to end the half ended with no points as the fake field goal attempt failed. Allen got down to the BC 5 yard line on the drive on a 45-yard pass from Wright to WR Deyandre Ruffin.

A low-scoring third quarter then ensued as the teams totaled just 5 points with BC grabbing a field goal and Allen scoring a special team safety when senior Dahlil Wilkins blocked a Benedict punt deep in their end zone as the quarter ended with BC up 31-9. BC then added two more field goals in the fourth quarter to make the final score 37-9.
Even though Allen held Benedict to just 9 points in the second half and zero touchdowns, they could not get their own offense on track throughout the day to keep up with the early offense of the Tigers.

Allen was led offensively by junior RB Beau Herrington as he rushed for 53 yards and caught 4 passes for 84 yards as he totaled 137 yards from scrimmage. Redshirt-Sophomore QB David Wright threw for 209 yards with a touchdown and 2 Interceptions while completing 15 of 33 passes. Senior WR Deyandre Ruffin finished with 3 catches for 61 yards while sophomore WR Armone Harris had 3 catches for 55 yards. Moore also had 4 receptions for 23 yards and a score.

Defensively, Allen was led by sophomore CB Kevin Graham's 10 total tackles as well as LB Kirkland Boone's 9 tackles. Fellow Corner Dahlil Wilkins had a solid game as he blocked a BC punt for a two-point safety while also tallying 4 tackles and a sack. Senior safety Sharrod Simmon also played well as he picked off BC in the first quarter and returning the interception 20 yards while also recording three tackles. D-Lineman Artavon Edmond and Jaheim Borden combined for 4 tackles and 2.5 sacks as well.


Allen closes their season with a 7-3 record overall and a 5-3 conference record and in a tie for 5th place in the 13-team SIAC conference. It is Allen's most wins since they restarted the program in 2018.
Benedict (10-0, 8-0 SIAC) will now face Albany State (6-2) in the SIAC Championship Game next Saturday in Atlanta.